This invention relates to a body protective garment. The invention is particularly suited for persons over the age of 65 who are more likely a suffer a hip fracture or other serious injury resulting from a fall. Falls represent the leading injury-related cause of death for individuals in this age group. For example, the impact force on the hip when a 75 kg person falls in the muscle-relaxed state is about 5300 Newton (N). For elderly persons, as little as 1300 N can fracture the femur.
Several articles have been written discussing in detail the effect of impact forces on the hip, and the likelihood of suffering femoral fracture resulting from a fall. For persons over the age of 45, about 250,000 hip fractures occur annually in the United States alone. See articles entitled "Fracture Prediction for the Proximal Femur Using Finite Element Models" by Lotz, Cheal, and Hayes; and "Prediction of Femoral Impact Forces in Falls on the Hip" by Robinovitch and Hayes. The medical theories and predictions outlined in these articles are incorporated herein by reference.
Studies show that soft tissue thickness over the hip and muscle activity at impact are important determinants of fall fractures. While an increase in muscle rigidity during the descent phase of the fall may help adjust the body into a safe landing position, this increased muscle stiffness actually increases the impact force on the hip, thereby increasing the risk of femoral fracture. The lateral impact from a fall has the potential to fracture an elderly hip every time it happens.
The present invention helps protect the hip against fall fracture by providing body protective pads in areas of the hip region most susceptible to injury. The pads of this invention have been tested to effectively reduce a 5800 N impact force to less than 1200 N.